Temperature sensors have been developed to provide electrical sensing of temperature at virtually any point of interest. Common types of temperature sensors include thermocouples or resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) that utilize known variations in thermal gradients or electrical resistance, respectively, in order to generate an electrical signal representative of the temperature sensor's ambient temperature. Known manufacturing techniques have enabled the creation of temperature sensors that are relatively small in size to facilitate measurement of temperatures at correspondingly small regions of interest.
In one example, a temperature sensor may be used to determine the temperature of a surface. In certain circumstances, however, mechanical, environmental, and/or aesthetic considerations may prevent or discourage the placement of a temperature sensor on the surface being measured. As a result, two or more temperature sensors may be positioned at different depths with respect to the surface being measured. The temperature of the surface may be extrapolated from the temperatures measured by the multiple temperature sensors at the differing depths. Because extrapolation of heat flow is used to determine an estimate of the surface temperature, however, such techniques are not precise. Additionally, requiring the placement of temperature sensors at multiple depths presents fabrication challenges and other inefficiencies.